Macmahon wins $406m Snowy River underground mining contract

11 August 2026 | Snowy River Gold Mine, near Reefton, New Zealand
 

Macmahon has secured a five-year underground mining services contract worth an estimated $406.2 million at the Snowy River Gold Mine, with work scheduled to begin in October 2026.

Five-year underground services award

Macmahon Holdings has been awarded a major underground mining services contract at Endura Mining's Snowy River Gold Mine near Reefton on New Zealand's South Island. The contract will be delivered through wholly owned subsidiary Macmahon New Zealand Limited.

Macmahon will transition the underground operation and provide mine development, production and backfill services. The five-year term is scheduled to begin in October 2026 and has an estimated value of $406.2 million.

Snowy River is operated by Tasman Mining Limited, a wholly owned Endura subsidiary. The project is being developed as a high-grade underground gold operation and is scheduled to produce its first gold in December 2026.

Why it matters

The award is directly relevant to the mining workforce because it covers core underground activities rather than a short consulting or study assignment. Mine development, production and backfill require sustained capability across underground operations, supervision, technical services, mobile maintenance and supporting functions.

The contract also marks Macmahon's return to mining in New Zealand. For the Perth-headquartered contractor, the project extends its underground portfolio into another established mining jurisdiction while supporting Snowy River's transition from development toward production.

Macmahon did not disclose anticipated employee numbers, mobilisation requirements or contract margins in the announcement. Any specific recruitment implications therefore remain subject to the contractor's transition and workforce plans.

Next steps

Macmahon and Endura will prepare for the October transition, establish the underground services team and integrate development, production and backfill activities with the wider project schedule.

The immediate operational milestone is first gold in December 2026. Delivery against that schedule will depend on the mine transition, underground progress and completion of the project's remaining production-readiness work.

Source: Macmahon Holdings Limited, "Macmahon awarded $406m Underground Mining Contract at Snowy River Gold project", 11 August 2026. Original announcement